All 7th graders in Cambridge had the exciting opportunity to participate in a free field trip experience at the Boston Museum of Science through the Google Field Trip program. Students were able to visit the special brand-new exhibit
The Science Behind Pixar. From the Museum of Science website, "This interactive exhibition showcases the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts used by the artists and computer scientists who help bring Pixar's award-winning films to the big screen. Created by the Museum of Science and Pixar, with more than 40 interactive exhibit elements, the exhibition’s eight sections focus on steps in the filmmaking process to give you an unparalleled view of the production pipeline and concepts used at Pixar every day." In addition to exploring
The Science Behind Pixar exhibit, students were also able to watch an Omni Theater show about Animal Migration and see a live presentation called "Animation in Action."
While at the museum, PAUS students used the Museum of Science Pixar cards to guide their exploration of the exhibit, and wrote reflections to capture their thinking. They were able to see how a variety of interests and talents contribute to the creation of the popular Pixar films. Multiple interests were piqued including art, math, science and storytelling. One student commented after the trip that he plans to use his artistic talents to work for Pixar one day. After returning from the exhibit, all 7th grade classes at PAUS decided to watch a Pixar movie. During the screening, teachers strategically paused the show to identify connections to the exhibit specifically in the areas of art, science, technology and math. In all, this was an exciting experience for students to connect concepts in their classrooms to the real world, and possible job opportunities in the future.